"National Gallery St John the Baptist film series - Introduction" (2017)

Who was John the Baptist and why has he been so important to artists and patrons over the centuries? In this first of 10 films, art historian Jennifer Sliwka and theologian Ben Quash introduce us to this pivotal figure in the Biblical story, and reveal the ways he can immediately be recognised in works of art.
This episode takes a close look at two National Gallery masterpieces, Carlo Crivelli's 'The Demidoff Altarpiece' 1476 and Piero della Francesca's 'The Baptism of Christ', 1450s.
John the Baptist: From Birth to Beheading’ is a series of 10 films sharing the highlights of the collaborative MA course taught by Dr Jennifer Sliwka, Howard and Roberta Ahmanson Fellow in Art and Religion at the National Gallery and Professor Ben Quash, Director of the Centre for Arts and the Sacred, King’s College London.